Formula 1 fans have voiced their concerns and called for the FIA to take action against Max Verstappen after the Dutch driver appeared to impede Lewis Hamilton’s final lap during Saturday’s shootout at the Red Bull Ring.
The incident, which went unnoticed by the stewards, took place as the drivers vied for grid positions in the Austrian Grand Prix sprint.
Hamilton’s session ended in disappointment as he crossed the line in 18th place, with his final attempt marred by Verstappen’s actions approaching the first corner.
The Red Bull driver, having completed his hot lap, aggressively maneuvered on the inside of Hamilton, forcing the Mercedes driver to yield into Turn One.
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The incident has sparked a wave of calls on social media for Verstappen to face retroactive penalties.
Expressing his frustration, one user stated, “I’m sorry but are you serious? Max has FINISHED his flying lap, he decides to race Lewis into T1, and then he blocks him at the apex and on the racing line, you see his lights flash so you know he’s harvesting. Not even an investigation. What a joke.”
Similarly, another commented, “That had to be impeding. Lewis was on a push lap and Max a cool down.”
Some fans directed their frustration towards Sky Sports F1 for seemingly overlooking the incident.
One noted, “Sky F1 conveniently didn’t show any of this footage. He ruined Lewis’ lap deliberately,” while another addressed commentators David Croft and Anthony Davidson, requesting, “Please show this, it seems to have been missed or ignored.”
However, there were contrasting opinions, with a fan claiming, “This is a slam dunk penalty for Hamilton, ruined Max’s lap,” and another questioning Hamilton’s decision to back out, stating, “Why did Hamilton back out straight away? He should’ve carried on. He could’ve made the time back.”
Hamilton refrained from mentioning the incident during his post-shootout interview but displayed clear disappointment following his subpar performance.
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Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the seven-time champion acknowledged the race’s limited significance, saying, “The sprint race doesn’t really matter anyway, so today I’ll just have some fun from the back. It is what it is.
“There’s nothing to say.
“We’ll focus on our job today.
“Could’ve easily been much further up there, but yeah, I’ll just have some fun at the back.”